New Southside Precinct commander Capt. Dean Fagerstrom used a slideshow to explain how citizens and police can work together to stop crime in Windsor Forest. (Photo by Carl Elmore/For the Savannah Morning News)

Windsor Hall was packed to the gills and the rain-soaked streets nearby were lined with parked cars Monday night as about 200 residents listened to and engaged police about public safety.

The newly appointed commander of the Savannah-Chatham police department’s Southside Precinct, Capt. Dean [filtered word]erstrom, spoke to the crowd about a spate of thefts from vehicles on the southside as well as a pattern of residential burglaries, and he tried to encourage residents to call and report crime or suspicious activity.

The floor was also given to Maj. Larry Branson, commander of the department’s Criminal Investigation Division, who addressed three high-profile violent crimes from January that occurred on the southside.

Savannah State University student Rebecca Foley, 21, was shot to death in her car Jan. 21 at Colonial Village at Marsh Cove apartments off White Bluff Road. The next night, 17-year-old Evan Colquitt died after being shot multiple times on the 400 block of Sharondale Road. And on Jan. 23, a man was injured after being shot through the door of his home in Turtle Creek Apartments off White Bluff Road.

Officers on Friday charged paroled felon Ernest Patterson, 21, with aggravated assault and other crimes in connection with the Turtle Creek shooting, which police say happened during a drug-related confrontation with another person outside the apartment.

All three investigations are ongoing.

“We have followed up on well over 40 leads on the young lady who was murdered here on the southside,” Branson said. “We have talked to many, many people about the homicide of the young man. We are not stopping with our investigations.”

Lt. Racine Chaney told the crowd that investigators executed searches on residents and cellphones in the Colquitt case as well as canvassed neighborhoods. In Foley’s case, he and Branson both said, more information from the public is needed.

One attendee who spoke up said she and her husband were afraid living in the same apartment complex where Foley was killed, and she wanted to know if police could release information about a suspect.

Branson said no eye witnesses had come forward and that there was no video evidence.

“Unfortunately, sadly, we don’t have anything we can share with the public right now,” he said.

Savannah Alderman Tony Thomas and Chatham County Commissioner Lori Brady also expressed frustration at homicides in the Windsor Forest area — both recent and ones unsolved from previous years.

Thomas also said drugs are an issue in the southside he would like to see addressed.

“This is a very serious issue for this community,” he said. “And drugs are a core root of what’s going on.”

Residents at the meeting voiced concern about gang activity, truancy, requested that police stop and talk to residents more often while patrolling, asked if a telephonic messaging system could be utilized to inform people of crime trends, and aired concerns about police responding to calls.

Herman Williams, a resident who attended the meeting, said afterward that he felt that sometimes police focus too much on bigger criminals instead of going after those committing smaller crimes.

“We have to feel like when we do call, we are getting the full response of the police department,” he said. “... They’ve got to get rid of that big fish mentality and go after all the fish.”

[filtered word]erstrom told those with concerns at the meeting to speak with his officers and asked that residents call 911 when they see something illegal or suspicious. He also introduced attendees to Southside Precinct’s crime prevention officer, Cpl. John Simmons, who encouraged residents to become involved with neighborhood associations or watch programs and be security conscious at home.

“We have to all be in this together,” [filtered word]erstrom said.

MAYFAIR SECURITY WATCH MEETING

The Mayfair Neighborhood Association and the city of Savannah are inviting residents living in and around the Mayfair subdivision to discuss public safety at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Knights of Columbus, 7619 Waters Ave. City and police officials will be present to answer questions and address concerns at the meeting.

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It's funny how some people want to blame government for all our problems, and then the solution is for the same government to compele a certian behavior such as gun ownership. Southside Savannah is going through similair demographic changes to other mature suburbs which are worsened by the poor job market. More police on the street with less tolerance of any and all code violations is the simple but expensive solution... more taxes anyone?

It's funny how some people want to blame government for all our problems, and then the solution is for the same government to compele a certian behavior such as gun ownership. Southside Savannah is going through similair demographic changes to other mature suburbs which are worsened by the poor job market. More police on the street with less tolerance of any and all code violations is the simple but expensive solution... more taxes anyone?

You complain about this, you complain about that, but if we do nothing... nothing's accomplished. We have to nip this in the bud, if not, we will take up arms ourselves, and that's when bloodshed begins!

You complain about this, you complain about that, but if we do nothing... nothing's accomplished. We have to nip this in the bud, if not, we will take up arms ourselves, and that's when bloodshed begins!

You complain about this, you complain about that, but if we do nothing... nothing's accomplished. We have to nip this in the bud, if not, we will take up arms ourselves, and that's when bloodshed begins!

Nothing was accomplished last night, other than two "very controversial" elected officials pretending that 'they are on top of everything" going on. Their input wasn't worth 2 cents towards helping the issues at hand. YOU TWO are suppose to support and work with Law Enforcement, not beat them up in public! Wouldn't it be nice if the Law Enforcement Officials had the same opportunity to voice "their opinion" of these two and the worthless job they seem to be doing !! We need better representation of the south side. One for sure has done nothing but embarrass us in public, and the newly elected one is fast on her way to being the same. What a team we have in those two !! Help us, and stop with the "hey look at me I am somebody" attitude !!!! YOU are "public servants" not self proclaimed "CELEBRITIES." THIS IS SAVANNAH, NOT HOLLYWOOD !!!!!!!!!